MATCH INFO

Serbia outlast Japan in dramatic five-setter

Nikola Kovacevic spikes for 2011 European champions Serbia in front of full stands at Osaka Central Gym

Osaka, Japan, November 24, 2011 - Serbia defeated Japan in five sets (25-21, 25-22, 18-25, 22-25, 15-12) on the first day of second-round action in the 2011 FIVB Men's World Cup at Osaka Central Gym on Thursday. The European champions were tested but showed their mettle in securing the victory before a raucous crowd cheering on the hosts. Ivan Miljkovic and Dragan Stankovic played vital roles in the win for Serbia. Miljkovic was named the most impressive player of the match. Yusuke Ishijima and Yuta Yoneyama were influential for Japan which played a cerebral game against their powerful opponents.

Both teams were winless at 0-3 entering the contest after losing all of their first-round matches. Tatsuya Fukuzawa served into the net to open the match. Miljkovic drilled a spike to give Serbia a 5-3 lead. A Shimizu spike made it 7-7. A beautiful dig by libero Nikola Rosic was followed by a sublime dink by Miljkovic that sent Serbia into the first TTO with an 8-7 lead. A Fukuzawa spike evened the score 11-11. Serbia was up 16-13 at the second TTO following a service ace. Nikola Kovacevic's spike put Serbia up 18-15. A block by Yusuke Ishijima pulled Japan within a point at 18-16. Miljkovic made it 20-18 with a power spike. Fukuzawa countered with one of his own. Japan took a timeout while trailing 21-19. Dragan Stankovic put Serbia within three points of the set with a spike. Fukuzawa sent a serve into the net to give Serbia set point at 24-21 and they closed it out with a block on the next point. Milos Nikic had five points for Serbia in the set, while Fukuzawa and Shimizu had four each for Japan.

A block by Mihaljo Mitic put Serbia up 6-4 in the second set. Yuta Abe sent Serbia into the first TTO with an 8-5 after serving into the net. Japan took a timeout while trailing 10-6. Kota Yamamura's block pulled Japan within 11-8. Kovacevic's spike staked Serbia to a 16-11 lead at the second TTO. A Shimizu block pulled Japan within two points at 17-15. Serbia ran off three straight points and Japan called a timeout down 20-15. Japan fought back three straight points of its own, highlighted by Ishijima's block for 20-18. Japan edged with 21-20, but Ishijima then served into the net. Daisuke Yako's dink tied the score 21-21, but Mijkovic tore into a spike and blocked a shot to give his team set point. He then blocked another to finish the set 25-21. Kovacevic had seven points in the set, while Mijkovic put up five.

Japan jumped to a 7-3 lead in the final set and Serbia called a timeout. Japan led 8-4 at the first TTO. Serbia pulled with 8-7 before Japan moved ahead 11-8. A spike by Takahiro Yamamoto pushed Japan to a 13-9 lead. Ishijima's spike sent Japan into the second TTO with a 16-13 margin. Ishijima unleashed a service ace for 17-13 but Podrascanin responded with a spike. A nice swipe by Abe made it 20-15 for Japan and Serbia took a timeout Yoneyama pushed it to 22-16 with a spike as Japan closed in on the set. Japan took the set 25-18 when Aleksandar Atanasijevic served into the net. Ishijima had six points in the set and Yamamoto five.

The fourth set was tight early with rarely more than a point separating the sides. Japan was up 8-6 at the first TTO. A block by Yuta Abe made it 10-7 for Japan. Serbia then scored three points to equalize 10-10. Yamamoto made a quick swipe for 11-10. Miljkovic evened it up 11-11 with a spike and then Serbia moved ahead on a spike by Milos Terzic. Japan called a timeout trailing 14-12. The hosts tied it at 14-14 on a nice block. Miljkovic hammered a spike to take Serbia into the second TTO up by one (16-15). Yoneyama smoked a spike down the middle to give Japan back the lead at 18-17. Abe then blocked a spike and Japan was now two points ahead. Ishijima's spiked upped the lead to 20-17 and after Miljkovic had a spike blocked Serbia called a timeout down 21-17. Japan moved for the set on a block that made it 23-20 and grabbed the set on a spike by Yoneyama. Yoneyama had seven points in the set.

Serbia dug in and took the first two points of the final set and made it 5-3 on a service ace by Milos Vemic. Stankovic had three big spikes early in the set. Serbia was up 8-6 at the TTO. Borislav Petrovic uncorked a spike for 10-7. Miljkovic drilled another for 11-7 as Serbia drove to the finish line. Yamamoto gave Japan a glimmer of hope with a spike that made it 12-10. One last spike for Serbia ended it at 15-12.

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